Toronto

The Toronto MVSA unit is a project of Danforth Mennonite Church. We have a long, rich history of service to the east end of Toronto, dating back almost 100 years. The MVSA unit itself began in September, 2003, so we are the youngest in the family of MVS units. MennoHouse Toronto is located off Danforth Avenue, one of Toronto's major urban thoroughfares, just around the corner from the church, and even closer to the neighbourhood subway system.

Location

Toronto lies on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The city is the key to one of North America's most vibrant regions.

The word Toronto is a Mohawk word meaning meeting place, and this definition certainly is true today. Toronto is unique in being the most ethnically diverse city in the world. With a population of nearly two-and-a half million people we are home to more than 80 ethnic groups and more than 100 languages. And this diversity is magnified with approximately one-half of our people being born outside Canada. This multiculturalism shows itself in a rich diversity of faces, dress, neighbourhoods, shops, restaurants, festivals and more.

Toronto has also been described as a city of ravines interspersed with areas where people live, work, shop and play. We have parks, parks, and more parks.

We have two universities, four community colleges, over 45 theatres, a ballet company, an opera company with a state-of-the-art opera house under construction. We host an NHL hockey team, an NBA basketball team, a CFL football team, and a world renowned municipal zoo.

But our most appealing attribute is food; restaurants offering cuisine from every nation, region and ethnic community.

Unit life

We have rented a house around the corner from our church. This is close to the centre of the city on the major east-west subway line. The church's immediate neighbourhood is a moderately dense urban area whose residents are lower to middle class and quite ethnicaly diverse. The neighbourhood was originally settled by British immigrants, but has since diversified and now many cultural groups are represented. A number of unique cultural neighbourhoods are close by, such as Greektown, Little India, and one of a number of Chinatown neighbourhoods.

We desire to include the MVS participants in our fellowship, providing spiritual and material support, encouragement, forgiveness and healing. We want to help them discover, develop and exercise their gifts and creativity within our worshipping community.

Church

The Toronto unit is supported by the Danforth Mennonite Church. We are one of nine English speaking Mennonite congregations in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We also relates to four sister Mennonite churches or ministries in other language and ethnic groups (Chinese, Spanish, Laotian, and Korean).

Not unlike the larger population of the city, we are a congregation that is part of a culturally rich community. We come from a diverse background of creeds and cultures and socio-economic status who have a common commitment to Christ, coming together to form a caring community in the Anabaptist tradition.

Throughout our nearly 100 years of history, DMC has been characterized by the sensitivity of its leaders to the needs of an ever-changing community. We remain a church strongly rooted in its local community of East Toronto, that cares deeply about familiesand individuals alike. The sharing of our faith stories reflect the richness of experience that many congregants bring as a result of their participation in periods of service throughout the world. It is not surprising, then, that there is a strong emphasis on outreach .

We believe that the community environment described above and our desire to be instruments of God's peace and love to our neighbours provides a unique setting for service opportunities and the enrichment of volunteers.

Our membership is approximately 85 people and one dog who attends regularly with his mistress. We are part of Mennonite Church of Eastern Canada. Everyone is welcome.